Sonja S H C Haugaard Christensen
Philosophical Responses to the Climate Crisis
If we look at the climate crisis as a deep existential challenge, it invites us to examine how past philosophers responded to similar crises in their times. One recurring theme is the concept of the link between the Micro- and Macrocosmos, a connection that has been broken and must be re-established.
Ancient wisdom often emphasized the profound connection between the individual (microcosm) and the universe (macrocosm). This worldview highlighted ideas of harmony, balance, and interconnectedness.
With the advent of the Industrial Revolution and subsequent eras, humanity seemed to drift further from this holistic view. The pursuit of progress often meant exploitation and a disregard for the natural world.
Philosophical Responses:
Stoicism: Ancient Stoic philosophers taught the importance of finding inner resilience amidst external chaos. In the context of today's climate uncertainty, Stoic principles offer a guide to maintaining composure and purpose.
Thinkers like Rousseau critiqued the corruption of civilization and advocated for a return to nature. Romanticism celebrated the beauty and power of the natural world, inspiring a renewed appreciation for its wonders.
Existentialist philosophy, particularly Sartre's notion of confronting life's absurdities, resonates with our struggle against the absurdity of climate inaction.
Call to Action
The call to action is clear – we must re-establish the link between the microcosm and macrocosm. This involves restoring balance and harmony in our relationship with nature and recognizing our place within the larger ecosystem.
Embracing environmental ethics and adopting sustainable living practices.
Advocacy and Restoration: Engaging in advocacy for policy changes, ecological restoration efforts, and community-based initiatives.
The climate crisis presents us with an opportunity to embrace the wisdom of the past. By re-establishing the link between the microcosm and macrocosm, we pave the way for a more sustainable and harmonious future.
Address: Aarhus, Midtjylland, Denmark
https://eebs.dk
If we look at the climate crisis as a deep existential challenge, it invites us to examine how past philosophers responded to similar crises in their times. One recurring theme is the concept of the link between the Micro- and Macrocosmos, a connection that has been broken and must be re-established.
Ancient wisdom often emphasized the profound connection between the individual (microcosm) and the universe (macrocosm). This worldview highlighted ideas of harmony, balance, and interconnectedness.
With the advent of the Industrial Revolution and subsequent eras, humanity seemed to drift further from this holistic view. The pursuit of progress often meant exploitation and a disregard for the natural world.
Philosophical Responses:
Stoicism: Ancient Stoic philosophers taught the importance of finding inner resilience amidst external chaos. In the context of today's climate uncertainty, Stoic principles offer a guide to maintaining composure and purpose.
Thinkers like Rousseau critiqued the corruption of civilization and advocated for a return to nature. Romanticism celebrated the beauty and power of the natural world, inspiring a renewed appreciation for its wonders.
Existentialist philosophy, particularly Sartre's notion of confronting life's absurdities, resonates with our struggle against the absurdity of climate inaction.
Call to Action
The call to action is clear – we must re-establish the link between the microcosm and macrocosm. This involves restoring balance and harmony in our relationship with nature and recognizing our place within the larger ecosystem.
Embracing environmental ethics and adopting sustainable living practices.
Advocacy and Restoration: Engaging in advocacy for policy changes, ecological restoration efforts, and community-based initiatives.
The climate crisis presents us with an opportunity to embrace the wisdom of the past. By re-establishing the link between the microcosm and macrocosm, we pave the way for a more sustainable and harmonious future.
Address: Aarhus, Midtjylland, Denmark
https://eebs.dk
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Papers by Sonja S H C Haugaard Christensen
For Kant our existence is divided into two: The first implies our place in the world of sense and extension. The second points to the invisible self – our personality, which we meet during understanding because the world is not contingent but universal and necessary. The second raises our worth as intelligent beings with personality, to the moral law revealing a life independent of animality. (1:5:163) The questions of freedom and our ability to be responsible agents will be considered in relation to Kant´s work Critique of practical reason.
The moral problems raised by human use of animals are highly relevant and animals should not be treated as mere things, they deserve respect. How can we categorize animals - do they have a moral status like human beings? An answer to the question probably opens up a deeper understanding of human nature and our obligations to animals. Among the issues, we face the important question of animal farming, where cattle, pigs, and birds are housed under extreme conditions and exposed to hunger, pain, and suffer. However, the basis of moral consideration has been the source of much disagreement so now we turn to Tom Regan’s and Peter Singers' (animal liberationist movement) to see their opinions about the moral status of animals.
På tilsvarende måde ønsker psykologien ikke blot at beskrive, hvordan mennesker handler, men også at besvare spørgsmålet ”hvorfor”. Et svar kunne bestå i at blotlægge de grundlæggende menneskelige drifter og behov, som f.eks. Maslows behovspsykologi. Menneskers handlinger kunne måske også forklares ud fra de påvirkninger, de har været udsat for igennem deres omgivelser. Svarene på spørgsmålene ”hvorfor” tager således forskellig form i forskellige videnskaber. Forståelse som tolkning finder vi indenfor humaniora, der er videnskaberne om mennesket som kulturvæsen – som ånds væsen. Både mennesket og dets produkter er karakteriseret ved at være bærere af mening. Heri adskiller de sig fra naturfænomenerne. Når idealet om fuld forståelse af en tekst overføres til menneskelige handlinger, bliver det til forestillingen om en forståelse af menneskelig handling, hvori et menneske fuldt ud gennemskuer sine egne motiver; en forståelse af handlingen, som ikke efterlader noget i dunkelhed. Det er tanken om en frigørelse af mennesket gennem indsigt. Der sker en forankring af de humane fænomener i psykologien, hvor den psykiske side af fænomenet altid skal medvirke til en forklaring af et fænomen indenfor humanvidenskaberne. Psykoanalysen anvendt som forklaring har vist sig at være den mest succesrige gren indenfor området. Indenfor litteratur, billedkunst og arkitektur har man for en stor dels vedkommende, kunnet forklare begreber og principper ud fra Freuds psykoanalyse.
Hvordan prøver det ubevidste at vise sig i bevidstheden?
Drafts by Sonja S H C Haugaard Christensen
Diskursetikken holder, ligesom Hegel, fast ved den indbyrdes sammenhæng mellem retfærdighed og solidaritet, men i Kants ånd. Den viser, at moralprincippets betydning kan forklares ud fra indholdet i ufravigelige præsuppositioner for en argumentationspraksis, der kun kan udøves sammen med andre. Det moralske synspunkt, som vi upartisk kan bedømme praktiske spørgsmål ud fra, fortolkes givetvis forskelligt. Det står imidlertid ikke til disposition for os, på en hvilken som helst måde, eftersom det fremgår af argumentationsformen i den rationelle diskurs selv. Diskursetikken forholder sig på forskellig vis til moralske, etiske og pragmatiske spørgsmål. Den liberale og republikanske forståelse af politisk udtryk, der hersker i De Forenede Stater i dag, karakteriserer fronterne i den debat, der er rejst af kommunitaristerne.
Thesis Chapters by Sonja S H C Haugaard Christensen
Among the guiding principles of many ancient Greek and Roman philosophers was the idea of "following nature." Rooted in the belief that living in accordance with nature's laws leads to a harmonious and virtuous life, this principle deeply influenced conceptions of the self. Additionally, the advancements in Greek medicine, particularly the humoral theory attributed to figures like Hippocrates and Galen, offered a lens through which philosophers explored the balance of bodily and mental health.
For Kant our existence is divided into two: The first implies our place in the world of sense and extension. The second points to the invisible self – our personality, which we meet during understanding because the world is not contingent but universal and necessary. The second raises our worth as intelligent beings with personality, to the moral law revealing a life independent of animality. (1:5:163) The questions of freedom and our ability to be responsible agents will be considered in relation to Kant´s work Critique of practical reason.
The moral problems raised by human use of animals are highly relevant and animals should not be treated as mere things, they deserve respect. How can we categorize animals - do they have a moral status like human beings? An answer to the question probably opens up a deeper understanding of human nature and our obligations to animals. Among the issues, we face the important question of animal farming, where cattle, pigs, and birds are housed under extreme conditions and exposed to hunger, pain, and suffer. However, the basis of moral consideration has been the source of much disagreement so now we turn to Tom Regan’s and Peter Singers' (animal liberationist movement) to see their opinions about the moral status of animals.
På tilsvarende måde ønsker psykologien ikke blot at beskrive, hvordan mennesker handler, men også at besvare spørgsmålet ”hvorfor”. Et svar kunne bestå i at blotlægge de grundlæggende menneskelige drifter og behov, som f.eks. Maslows behovspsykologi. Menneskers handlinger kunne måske også forklares ud fra de påvirkninger, de har været udsat for igennem deres omgivelser. Svarene på spørgsmålene ”hvorfor” tager således forskellig form i forskellige videnskaber. Forståelse som tolkning finder vi indenfor humaniora, der er videnskaberne om mennesket som kulturvæsen – som ånds væsen. Både mennesket og dets produkter er karakteriseret ved at være bærere af mening. Heri adskiller de sig fra naturfænomenerne. Når idealet om fuld forståelse af en tekst overføres til menneskelige handlinger, bliver det til forestillingen om en forståelse af menneskelig handling, hvori et menneske fuldt ud gennemskuer sine egne motiver; en forståelse af handlingen, som ikke efterlader noget i dunkelhed. Det er tanken om en frigørelse af mennesket gennem indsigt. Der sker en forankring af de humane fænomener i psykologien, hvor den psykiske side af fænomenet altid skal medvirke til en forklaring af et fænomen indenfor humanvidenskaberne. Psykoanalysen anvendt som forklaring har vist sig at være den mest succesrige gren indenfor området. Indenfor litteratur, billedkunst og arkitektur har man for en stor dels vedkommende, kunnet forklare begreber og principper ud fra Freuds psykoanalyse.
Hvordan prøver det ubevidste at vise sig i bevidstheden?
Diskursetikken holder, ligesom Hegel, fast ved den indbyrdes sammenhæng mellem retfærdighed og solidaritet, men i Kants ånd. Den viser, at moralprincippets betydning kan forklares ud fra indholdet i ufravigelige præsuppositioner for en argumentationspraksis, der kun kan udøves sammen med andre. Det moralske synspunkt, som vi upartisk kan bedømme praktiske spørgsmål ud fra, fortolkes givetvis forskelligt. Det står imidlertid ikke til disposition for os, på en hvilken som helst måde, eftersom det fremgår af argumentationsformen i den rationelle diskurs selv. Diskursetikken forholder sig på forskellig vis til moralske, etiske og pragmatiske spørgsmål. Den liberale og republikanske forståelse af politisk udtryk, der hersker i De Forenede Stater i dag, karakteriserer fronterne i den debat, der er rejst af kommunitaristerne.
Among the guiding principles of many ancient Greek and Roman philosophers was the idea of "following nature." Rooted in the belief that living in accordance with nature's laws leads to a harmonious and virtuous life, this principle deeply influenced conceptions of the self. Additionally, the advancements in Greek medicine, particularly the humoral theory attributed to figures like Hippocrates and Galen, offered a lens through which philosophers explored the balance of bodily and mental health.